Several family members of F1 drivers have become well-known in their own right. Jos Verstappen competed in the sport himself, of course, and he’s often seen alongside his world champion son Max in the paddock.
Lando Norris’ father, Adam, has also attended multiple races, as has Oscar Piastri’s mother, Nicole. Anthony Hamilton was seen comforting Isack Hadjar in the Australian GP paddock after the Racing Bulls driver crashed on the formation lap.
A number of drivers, like George Russell and Charles Leclerc, often arrive at the circuit with their partners, too. When you consider they have managers and trainers too, it can add up to a sizeable entourage.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Simon Lazenby suggested that, based on his paddock experience, one team may look to limit the size of their driver’s support group.
Simon Lazenby wonders if Haas are happy with Oliver Bearman bringing his family ‘en masse’
Following the chequered flag at last weekend’s Bahrain GP, David Bearman – dad of Haas driver Oliver – was allowed to congratulate his son on the radio. The rookie made it three points finishes in a row with a P10.
Bearman Sr was memorably in attendance at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when Carlos Sainz withdrew and Ferrari had to turn to their academy driver. Lazenby says his camp have continued to travel ‘en masse’.
However, he suspects that Haas may be inclined to step in. In the past, teams have tried to exert full ‘control’ over their drivers during a race weekend.
“They’re quite tight,” Lazenby said. “We know that they’re another one who travel en masse. How long that will be allowed to happen by the team [I don’t know].
“We’ve seen families when a driver first comes in, then the team says ‘maybe it’s time you stayed away for a few so we can take control of what’s going on’.”
At times, parents can be a disruptive influence, questioning certain management decisions. For instance, there was tension between Carlos Sainz Sr and Jos Verstappen when their sons were racing for Toro Rosso in 2015, but there’s no indication that Bearman’s family are anything more than observers.
Oliver Bearman has already received glowing praise from Damon Hill at the start of first F1 season
Bearman had a ‘shocker’ in Bahrain qualifying, in the words of Martin Brundle, as he set the slowest time. But not for the first time this year, he produced a magnificent comeback.
Having climbed from 17th to eighth in China (albeit with the aid of three disqualifications), he charged into the points again. Esteban Ocon congratulated Bearman on social media after Haas’ double score.
Damon Hill called Bearman a ‘star’ after his performance in Sakhir, and Ferrari will surely be impressed too. He’ll hope to succeed Lewis Hamilton when the 40-year-old moves on.
The Jeddah circuit will always hold a special meaning for Bearman, and his P7 finish as an emergency stand-in last year should give him confidence. He’d also qualified on pole for the F2 Feature Race, though he wasn’t given the chance to convert it.
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